>
Charles,
I expect the precise elevation below which most winter wrens
move depends on what region you are in (how much snow
perhaps??). In the west Cascades of Wash, they generally
do not winter in the mountain hemlock zone (>about 4000
feet) and are sparse compared to summer in the silver fir
zone above 2500, so your 3500 feet would be in that sparse
area (if you were in the West Cascades, which you're
obviously not!). I also think that each species has a
characteristic (potentially unique) elevational range, in the
winter and the summer.

Black-capped Chickadee would definitely be out of the
ordinary at high elevations anywhere in W. Wash. at any
time of year, unlike parts of Idaho it sounds like. Here we
have Chestnut-backs from sealevel to upper treeline all year
long and Black-caps only in low-elevation disturbed,
urbanized, and dediduous habitats.

Chris Chappell Olympia
chris.chappell at wadnr.gov

>> CHARLES E SWIFT <charless at umich.edu> 01/26/98
11:30am >>> wrote:
Include brown Creeper, Black-capped & Mountain
Chickadee, and Red-breasted
nuthatch in your high elevation winter gang I suppose. I found
several
Winter Wrens at about 3,500' in Idaho this winter but I would
guess you
were thinking a bit higher than that.

On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, CHRIS CHAPPELL wrote:

> A few years ago, I found white-winged crossbills while
skiing
> at the White Pass chairlifts. There are birds in the
> mountains in winter, and its worth keeping eyes and ears
> open during those breaks in the action.
>
> Nice to see your list of other species too, similar to what I
> often find when up high in the winter. I often find
> Golden-crowned Kinglets up high in the winter, quite
amazing
> it seems given their size and primarily invertebrate-based
> diet. I think there is one group of permanent resident
> species that truly are that and another that withdraw from
> higher elevations in winter (e.g. Winter Wren).
>
> Chris Chappell
> Olympia
> chris.chappell at wadnr.gov
>
>